The practice has fuelled public anger as people found themselves locked in their homes during minor outbreaks. And an influential state media commentator suggested that Covid controls could be further relaxed -- while insisting the public "will soon calm down". "I can give an absolute prediction: China will not become chaotic or out of control," Hu Xijian, a columnist with the state-run tabloid Global Times said on Twitter, which is banned in China."China may walk out of the shadow of Covid-19 sooner than expected." (Image: AFP)

China should change its official name for COVID-19 to reflect the virus' mutation, and patients with light symptoms should be allowed to quarantine at home, a leading authority on traditional Chinese medicine was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Gu Xiaohong told the state-run Beijing Daily newspaper that the coronavirus' Chinese name, which identifies it as a pneumonia-causing disease, should be changed to call it simply an infectious virus.

China's approach to COVID - which has emphasised widespread testing and the quarantining of positive cases in specialised facilities - should change from "passive detection" to "active prevention", with recuperation at home for light cases.

Gu said the China Association of Chinese Medicine's infectious disease arm, which she heads, had reached a consensus to change how they describe the virus.

Her remarks are in line with a recent softening of the tone from China's health experts and state media towards COVID, while authorities have loosened what remain some of the world's toughest COVID curbs.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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There are widespread expectations that the moves could herald a more pronounced shift towards normalcy three years into the pandemic.

Officials have started to play down the dangers posed by the virus. On Monday, the official Xinhua news agency said in a commentary that the "most difficult period had passed", citing the weakening pathogenicity of the virus and efforts to vaccinate 90% of the population.

China medical expert says COVID has mutated, should be renamed

Gu Xiaohong told the state-run Beijing Daily newspaper that the coronavirus' Chinese name, which identifies it as a pneumonia-causing disease, should be changed to call it simply an infectious virus.